Naturalis Biodiversity Center and BNP Paribas Join Forces for Biodiversity Conservation and Restoration

Amsterdam and Leiden, 18 December 2023 – Naturalis Biodiversity Center and BNP Paribas signed a multi-year partnership for the protection and restoration of biodiversity. The urgency is high, particularly in the Netherlands, explains Edwin van Huis, Director of Naturalis Biodiversity Center: “The Netherlands stands out in terms of biodiversity loss. Within the European Union, only Belgium and Malta fare worse. The partnership with BNP Paribas allows us to make concrete impact on protecting biodiversity.”

The partnership brings together one of the world’s leading biodiversity knowledge centers with the European Union’s largest bank and a recognized leader in sustainable finance. Naturalis contributes deep scientific expertise. BNP Paribas brings access to a broad network of clients, partners and financial experts.  Through the collaboration, the partners aim to translate Naturalis’s scientific expertise and insights into concrete, positive outcomes on the ground.

The collaboration aims to contribute to the protection of the world’s natural capital in four areas:

• Research & Data
• Education & Awareness
• Financial Innovation: accelerating the development of tools to direct more capital towards the protection and restoration of biodiversity
• Science-based metrics for decision-making in finance and business

“Naturalis works towards biodiversity protection through monitoring and scientific research. BNP Paribas is committed to helping protect  biodiversity across the world  through the implementation of specific policies, participation in coalitions, and financing actions with a positive impact. By joining forces with Naturalis, we have the opportunity to help our clients better understand and  map their impacts and dependencies on nature – and thereby lay the foundation for businesses to take concrete steps, like optimizing strategies or policies to protect and  restore biodiversity.”

geert lippens, CEO & Country Head at BNP Paribas Netherlands

““BNP Paribas has strong contacts in the business community – an important group that we need work with to turn the tide – and this partnership makes it possible share our data with them. Building awareness of this in the corporate world is the first step toward addressing the related business risks and opportunities. Additionally, through our collaboration, we can learn from BNP Paribas’ experiences with clients – what motivates or holds them back from accelerating the restoration of biodiversity. BNP Paribas also gives us access to information on risk management and biodiversity reporting through its active participation in the Taskforce on Nature-Related Financial Disclosures.”

Edwin van Huis, General Director of Naturalis Biodiversity Center

During the official launch on December 15 at Naturalis in Leiden, Koos Biesmeijer, Scientific Director, delivered a keynote speech outlining not what biodiversity is and the threats to it, but also emphasizing that biodiversity is essential for our life on this planet. Biodiversity gives us food and drinking water; it protects our coast and pollinates our crops and so much more, with a total value that’s many times greater than all the economic activity that we create ourselves. Making nature our partner is the only option for a livable future, he emphasized. During the event, clients of BNP Paribas and Naturalis also engaged in discussions with leaders and biodiversity experts from Naturalis and BNP Paribas to discuss their challenges and ambitions in the field of biodiversity. These formed the first steps towards further shaping the partnership establishing concrete objectives within the targeted impact areas.

*BNP Paribas has been a part of the TNFD since 2021.